What is Local Search Marketing and What is the Need for it?

• Local search marketing also refers to local search engine optimization.

• Local search marketing is getting your business listed online so customers can find you.

• 80% of consumers who purchased a local product or service searched online before making a local purchase.

• 80% of Americans own a PC and 91% own a cell phone with Smartphones climbing in their percent of these.

What is the Goal of Local Search Marketing?

•To make your business more easily found on search engines and local search sites; •Make it rank higher in search results•Get your name out there to have a better online presence! •Many businesses have not embraced the internet for their business yet, so there’s a lot of opportunity to take advantage of technology!

What is the Goal of Local Search Marketing?

•Get more customers and support existing ones even better!

•Having a good business listing makes your business appear to be a more credible place and people are more likely to shop with you.

•Having social media sites also can help people feel more comfortable doing business with you. The more information the better!

How Local Search Marketing is Done and What is Consists of

• We claim your business for you, making it an owner-verified listing.

• We make a business listing for you that includes:– Your business name and location, – Business description, company tagline, – Your website, company email, social media links – Hours of operation, date established, – Your services, your key vendors,

How Local Search Marketing is Done and What is Consists of

– Products sold – Categories that describe you such as Hardware Store

(keyword), – Pictures on most sites, – Delivery and radius, – Languages spoken, wheelchair accessible, – Payment options, business associations/affiliations, – Several of the sites offer a place to include specials or

coupons. Show up online and on smartphones!– Many of the sites allow for reviews on them.

Search Engines and Local Search Sites We List your Business on

• Google “Place Page,” or business listing, which is tied into google maps. You can either search on google.com or on google maps.

• Bing Local• Yahoo Local• YP.com (yellow pages through AT&T) • Superpages.com (part of Supermedia.com)• Yelp.com• Local.com• MerchantCircle.com• Citysearch.com (part of CityGrid Media)

• Once we set these up on a spreadsheet for you we will give you the spreadsheet with usernames (email addresses primarily) and password you gave us on the adsite form so you can add/change data; add coupons, etc. We also need to set up these sites to have emails that are going to these accounts to forward to your store email. (instead of maintaining all accounts separately)

Google Search & Maps• Google search engine and use for local search places and

products is the leader!• Free offer is available on your google place page.• Google Place Page app. on smartphones• Uploading products is the next phase of our search

marketing on a product level and will be starting with google feeds. This ties in very closely with scanning or searching for specific items on your smartphone as well as the internet to find products locally. Most of these sites we’re talking about have a mobile app. for them.

• Example of google search and google map search- • Swanton, OH• Fessenden Hardware

Yahoo Local• The second most popular search engine that has a

local search feature.• Yahoo is a large company that is tied into other

companies, having a good business listing on yahoo with help your search ranking and help people using yahoo in particular find you.

• Social media links/Facebook link is available to list.• Deals available on smartphones

• Example of yahoo local search: • Jefferson City, TN • Leeper Hardware

Bing Local

• Bing (formerly Live Search, Windows Live Search, and MSN Search) is a search engine that can be used for local searches. Bing is becoming more and more popular as well, third in the search engine rankings.

• Example of Bing Local Search: • Delphi, IN • Delphi Hardware

YP (Yellow Pages)• YP helps support users to find places to eat, play, and live

locally. YP helps users discover, find and connect with local businesses, events and attractions online & on your mobile. Whether booking a hotel room, checking local events, buying movie tickets, making restaurant reservations or shopping for a car, consumers have more power with local activity features and tools on YP.com. YP is owned by AT&T.

• Special offer is available to list.• YP app on smartphone• Example of yp.com search: Bedford, KY

Bedford Hardware Plus

Superpages/Supermedia

• A growing source similar to yellowpages that is one of the more popular “yellow/white pages” online.

• Deal and social media link(s) is available.• App on smartphone• Example: Oak Ridge, TN

Downtown Hardware

Yelp • Yelp, Inc. is a company that operates yelp.com, a

social networking, user review, and local search web site. Yelp.com has more than 41 million monthly unique visitors.

• Yelp is a fun and easy way to find, recommend and talk about what's great - and not so great in whatever city your in or go to. You can search for whatever (including hardware stores) and many various categories to look in.

• Deals can be offered through Yelp• App on smartphone

• Example: Belpre, OH • Belpre Hardware

Local.com

• Local.com is one of the top 10 local search engines &the company uses patented and proprietary technologies to provide over 20 million consumers each month with relevant search results for local businesses, products and services on Local.com and more than 1,000 partner sites.

• Link to facebook on this site.

• Example: Danville, WV Byrnside Hardware

MerchantCircle

• MerchantCircle claims to be the largest online network of local business owners, combining social networking features with customizable web listings that allow local merchants to attract new customers. Well over 1,000,000 local businesses have joined MerchantCircle to get their business more exposure on the Internet.

• Deals/Coupon are available to post of this site.

• Example: Cleves, OH Merrilees Hardware

Citysearch /CityGrid Media

• Citysearch is an online city guide that provides information about businesses in the categories of dining, entertainment, retail, travel, and professional services in cities throughout the United States

• Citysearch is an operating business of CityGrid Media CityGrid® is the largest content and ad network for local, aggregating more than 800K paying advertisers, enhanced listings and content for 18M businesses, and reaching more than 140M unique users across 250 web and mobile sites.

• Citysearch offers deals and social media links.• App on smartphone

• Example: Chapel Hill, TN Chapel Hill Hardware

In Conclusion

• Questions?

• Feel free to email any Q’s to thasson@househasson.com and

ryatteau@househasson.com

• Discussion?

What’s Next?

• Show you how to use your website & email marketing that’s built into your website to engage your customers.

• Help you put together an online social media marketing plan w/Facebook as the focus.

• We are going to show you how to get more business using social media online tools.

Seminar Schedule

• Website E-Mail Marketing   Dates: April 12th and 14th   Time: 4:00pm  – 5pm EST  Training instructors: Chris Luecke & Taylor Hasson

• • Facebook Marketing & Social Media Plan  Dates: April 26th and 28th   Time: 4:00pm  – 5pm EST  Training instructors: Shanna Rose & Taylor Hasson

• • E-com Custom Circular Training   Dates: May 10th and 12th   Time: 4:00pm  – 5pm EST  Training instructor: Kim Gibbs